Kenya: Activists urge government to abandon tobacco production

Anti-tobacco activists in Kenya have called on the government to step up efforts to end tobacco cultivation in the country, which is one of the world's largest tobacco producers.

Nearly 25 tobacco control organizations gathered at the National Cultural Centre in Nairobi to mark World No Tobacco Day on May 31, where the WHO was holding awareness-raising activities. They called on the government to accelerate support for farmers to abandon tobacco cultivation and facilitate their transition to economically viable food crops, which are essential for the country's economic development.

“Over the past two years, we have seen long-time tobacco farmers switch to alternative crops, participate in trainings, and plant high-iron beans in fields where tobacco once grew,” said Joel Gitali, chairman of the Kenya Tobacco Control and Health Promotion Alliance (KeTCHPA).[1]"The project has improved the health of farmers, increased school attendance for children who previously worked on farms, and replaced tobacco with environmentally friendly crops."

Kenya remains one of the largest tobacco producers

This call comes as the area of land devoted to tobacco cultivation, estimated at 20,000 hectares, has been reduced to 14,000 hectares by 2022. Kenya remains one of the largest tobacco producers in the world, with 36,000 farmers cultivating the crop. With more than 17 billion cigarettes produced in 2016, the country is also one of the largest producers of processed tobacco products.[2].

While tobacco companies tout its cultivation as an economic opportunity for farmers and populations in poorer countries[3], a report by the International Institute of Legal Affairs and the American Cancer Society shows that "tobacco cultivation is likely to hinder, not promote, economic development in tobacco-growing areas of Kenya." The report recommends that the Kenyan government "actively seek viable alternative livelihoods."[4].

In March 2022, the WHO, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Kenyan government launched the Tobacco-Free Farms project to enable farmers to transition out of tobacco production. Within a year, the WHO estimates that more than 2,000 farmers had transitioned from tobacco farming to more sustainable crops.[5].

HD

[1] Kenya leads global World NO-Tobacco Event, World Health Organization, May 31, 2023, accessed June 7, 2023

[2] Tobacco Atlas, September 2019, accessed June 7, 2023

^[3] Exposing and addressing tobacco industry conduct in low-income and middle-income countries, The Lancet, 2015, accessed June 7, 2023

[4] The Economics of Tobacco Farming in Kenya, International Institute for Legislative Affairs & American Cancer Society, 2016, accessed June 7, 2023

[5] Kenya leads global World NO-Tobacco Event, World Health Organization, May 31, 2023, accessed June 7, 2023